Study in the U.S.

Keen to live and learn in the USA? You’re in good company! Last year, over 974,926 international students chose to broaden their horizons by studying at one of America’s many world-class universities.

Recognised globally as the land of liberty and diversity, the U.S. is the world’s leading destination for international students, hosting 30 of the top 100 universities featured in the QS World Rankings for 2015-2016. Whether you’re searching for the buzz and bright lights of the big city, rustic surroundings or idyllic, sun-kissed beaches, the Land of the Free has got you covered.

There’s no getting around it: the USA is huge. To help you explore each part of America and decide which would be best for you, we have explained more about the culture and character of each region below. Your investigation starts here!

Northeastern United States

The Northeast region is one of the smallest in the US – at least in terms of land area. However, this relatively small slice of land connecting from Pennsylvania and New Jersey north to Maine is home to many of the most famous cultural and historical attractions in nation.

The Northeast actually divides into two even smaller regions. New England stretches from Long Island Sound through to the northernmost reaches of Maine, taking in rugged coastline, rolling mountains and forests that burst into fiery colors each autumn. Several fine cities are found in New England, not least historic Boston, with its museums, colonial-era architecture and thriving art scene. Next is the Mid-Atlantic Region, more or less south of New England. This region hinges on the world-class city of New York but also includes Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The Northeast USA also boasts one of the most impressive collections of prestigious institutes of higher education in the country. This is Ivy-League central, and it features world-famous universities such as Princeton, Yale, Harvard and MIT. Needless to say, when international students make plans to study in the United States, many of their top-choice universities are right here in the Northeast.

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To be fair, the ‘Midwest’ is an unusual name for this region of the United States. It takes in a large swatch of land from centrally located Kansas up to the border with Canada, then east to the great lakes and south to Ohio. Looking at a map, it would make more sense to call this the ‘Mideast’.

As it turns out, the Midwest received its moniker back in the United States’ early days, when most major cities clung to the colonial enclaves of the Atlantic coastline. From their perspective, everything in the country was too the west. This just happened to be the middle-west. The biggest city in the Midwest is Chicago, birthplace of the skyscraper and famous for its blues music, deep dish pizza and the iconic Magnificent Mile shopping street.

Chicago is home to some of the highest-ranking universities in the Midwest. Chicago aside, there are dozens of other important cities in this region – Indianapolis, Columbus, Detroit, Milwaukee and Kansas City, to name a few – each with their own well-known offerings in higher-education. Midwesterners are passionate about their university athletics teams too, and some friendly – albeit intense – rivalries have developed as a result. That makes life on campus all the more exciting when game day rolls around.

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The American West is a vast chunk of land that takes in some of the plains states far west of the Mississippi River and continues through arid plateaus and the great Rocky Mountains. This part of the country is an exercise in scale. The Rockies loom large over portions of Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Idaho and Utah. Extreme outdoor activities are popular here – everything from rock climbing to skiing. Meanwhile, vast tracts of dessert and sparse chaparral shrub lands cover much of Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.

The West is home to Denver, the mile-high city; the glitz, glamour and hedonism of Las Vegas; and rustic, alpine resort outposts such as Jackson Hole, where Hollywood icon Harrison Ford has been known to run mountain rescue missions in his helicopter. Despite its many prominent cities, the West maintains its frontier image. Given the sheer scale of this part of the US, it comes as no surprise that there are so many well-ranked universities here. International students enrolled in the West are earning top credentials, but that is only the beginning. They also receive a slice of genuine Americana while studying in this culturally rich region.

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The southern United States is a diverse region that stretches from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to the bayous of Louisiana. In between is a diverse natural and cultural landscape. By most groupings, there are 16 states included in the South US. In the Deep South, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas each have a strong sense of identity and independence. Famous cities in this region include glamorous Miami, party capital New Orleans and industrial giants such as Houston.

A bit farther north, the Appalachian Mountains roll through Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina. Several historic cities that played a central role in the American Civil War are also found here, including Savannah, Charleston and Richmond. Much of the music produced in the US first goes mainstream in the South. Nashville, Tennessee was once known as the ‘Country Music Capital of the World’, though it has much broader musical tastes now. Nashville has undergone a sort of renaissance and is easily one of the hippest cities in the country now, and many new bands continue to get their start here.

Meanwhile, Austin, Texas is the self-proclaimed ‘Live Music Capital of the World’. The South has a knack for prestige, and there many elite – often private – universities in this region.